- Scotland: Pupils calling for an inquiry into the public health impact of cheap alcohol are to provide evidence to MSPs. The Public Petitions Committee is to leave its Holyrood base and host a meeting at All Saints Secondary School in the Barmulloch area of Glasgow. The school said the move proved to students that those in power did take notice of young people's opinions. Earlier this month, three pupils from the school presented the 1,000th public petition to Holyrood. The committee will hear the pupils' evidence, which was gained by conducting research in the shops around their school where they found alcohol on sale for less than the price of a bottle of water. BBC News
- Tax on alcohol should rise to reduce binge drinking among teenagers, Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has said. Ms Hewitt urged chancellor Gordon Brown to "really increase" taxes on alcohol, especially on drinks such as alcopops, most popular with young people. BBC News This was the big news on Friday; we'll have more detail and analysis later on Alcohol Policy UK
- A town's seniors are being sent letters warning them against heavy drinking after research showed they keep falling over when drunk. Health worker Gavin Bryce conducted the research for Brighton and Hove Primary Care Trust, East Sussex. Worried Gavin said: "Pensioners are much more likely to fall over and hurt themselves in the home after a drinking binge, resulting in long stays in hospital." Sunday Mirror
- Hertfordshire: The dangers of binge drinking will be highlighted in a two-pronged police crackdown this week. The Know Your Limits operation, a collaboration between Hertfordshire Police and North Hertfordshire District Council, is an attempt by the police to remind people that going out and having a good time doesn't necessarily mean they have to drink too much. There will be a strong police presence in Hitchin town centre and, as part of the campaign, bar staff from various establishments will wear Know Your Limits T-shirts. There will also be branded bottleneck covers and sandwich boards giving details to drinkers. And there will be a mobile police station operating in the Market Place. The other part of the campaign is the police sending out letters to people who have been involved in drink-related incidents in the past to warn them that if they are involved in similar incidents in the future they could be banned from all pubs in North Herts. Herts24
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